Tobacco-cutting machine



A. H. ANSTEY.

TOBACCO CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION rum) NOV. 1, 1909.

997,595, Patented July 11,1911.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ARTHUR H ANSTEY ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm,WASHINGTON, u. c.

PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR H. ANSTEY, OF UTICA, NEW YORK.

TOBACCO-CUTTING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. ANsrnY, citizen of the United States,residing at Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-CuttingMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawing. 7

My invention relates to an improved tobacco cutting machine, such asdescribed in patents to Pease, No. 30929, Dec. 18, 1860; No. 41,637,Feb. 16, 186t;and Krutzsch, No. 402,088, Apr. :3, 1889, and I declarethat the following is a full, clear, concise and exact descriptionthereof, suflicient to enable one skilled in the art to make and use thesame,

- reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which likereference characters refer to similar parts throughout.

Heretofore tobacco cutting machines have been provided with throats madeof soft steel, disposed at the smaller end of a tapering passage way,whose upper and lower inclosures are formed by brass chain carriagesrunning on suitable bearings at either end of the passage way, throughwhich the tobacco is congestively carried. The tobacco is preparedbefore entering this passage way with a dressing which contains acorrosive substance that eats into the steel of the throat. It also hasa tendency to pick the brass off from the chain carriages and amalgamateit with the steel throats on their eaten surfaces. The brass deposits onthe steel throat piece in a short time become so large that they arebroken away by the impact of the oncoming tobacco. In breaking away theyleave large perforations in the steel. This amalgamation process in ashort time so badly roughens the surface of the throat that the feed ofthe machine is impeded and as a result, the tobacco fed to the passageway is retarded until there is suflicient pressure against the oncomingproduct to start it forward in jerks or thrusts and presents it to thecutting knives. This effect of the uneven feed is to destroy the uniformcut of the machine, leaving the finished product with a certain grade offine cut tobacco mixed with some coarse cut. Not only is the uniform cutof the finished product destroyed but the corroding of the throat of themachine, impeding the advance of the fed tobacco as it does, produces aneX cessive strain on the machine which impairs Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed November 1, 1909.

Patented July 11, 1911.

Serial No. 525,648.

its efliciency; the belts slip and unusual care is necessary to keep themachine in proper working order. Particularly is the corrosive effect onthe steel throat harmful at that part of the throat which overlaps thechain carriages, where it is necessarily narrow in order to make closefit with the chain carriages. This part is readily eaten away leaving anaperture or crevice for the tobacco to crowd into and in time clog theoperation of the machine. My device also contemplates having brassplates dovetailed into the throat pieces in a manner that eliminates anycrevices between the plates and the throat pieces for the tobacco to getinto.

These improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tobacco cutting machine,showing my improved throat pieces applied thereto; Fig. 2 is aperspective front view of the upper throat piece; Fig. 3 is aperspective rear view of the upper throat piece; Fig. l is a top plan ofthe same; Fig. 5 is a base plan of the same showing the throat piecebolted to the frame in section and parts of the chain carriageapproaching the throat piece; Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are respectively similarviews to 2, 3 and 4 of the lower throat piece; Fig. 9 is a base plan ofthe lower throat piece; and Fig. 10 is a section enlarged taken on linee@ of Fig. 3, relative parts being added thereto.

The upper throat piece is indicated by 1, having bores 22' disposedadjacent the ends on a plane slightly offset from the central portion,through which bores pass suit-able bolts 3-3, held by nuts 1 1 to securethe throat piece to the frame A of the machine. Recesses 55 in throatpiece 1 permit the admission of nuts 4l4l to the plane of the bores. Abrass plate 6, which constitutes the most important feature of my deviceis disposed adjacent the exposed surface of throat piece 1, as shown inFigs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and '10. It is held vertically in the throat piece 1 bydove tail joint 7 and by beveled edges 8-8 which fit into counterapertures in the throat piece. In order to provide against lateralmovement of the plate, I make bores 9 in plate 6 to aline with bores 10in the throat piece 1, into which bores are fitted brass headed plugs 11slightly tapered at their head portions in order to make adhesivecontact with plate 6 when said plugs are driven home, flush with thesurface of plate 6. In order to provide a close fitting joint at thatpart of the throat piece 1 which meets and projects over the chaincarriages, the plate 6 is beveled and continues the central concavesurface of throat piece 1 to a keen edge as shown at 12.

Lower throat piece 13 is a duplicate of upper throat piece 1 in manyrespects and like parts are indicated by like reference characters.There is this difference, however. Plate lt has a central elevation 15,inclining upwardly toward the front of the throat piece, as shown inFigs. 6 and 10. The elevation 15 forms shoulders l616 in order that itmay rest in aperture 2% of the throat when assembled. The inclination ofplate l l upward toward the front surface tends to give the tobaccopresented at the throat edge some resistance to the downward pressure ofthe knives which are bolted as at 1717 to cutting arms 1818.

In Fig. 1, I have shown upper front roller pinion 19 which actuates theupper chain carriage 20 and lower front roller pinion 21 which actuate-sthe lower chain carriage, not shown. A. tooth change gear is representedby 22, and 23 is a clutch lever.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a tobacco cutting machine of the character described, thecombination of a frame having a throat, two endlesschains adapted tomove toward each other in a converging manner whereby tobacco may becongestively fed to said throat, throat pieces having parts adapted tobe inserted into corresponding recesses in the upper and lower sides ofsaid throat and apertured for the mounting therein of brass platesretained in said throat pieces by rivets, gear mechanism for moving saidendless chains and reciproeating knives adapted to cut the tobacco as itpasses through said throat.

2. In a tobacco cutting machine of the character described, thecombination of a frame having a throat, two endless chains supported bysaid frame, throat pieces adapted to be inserted and retained into theupper and lower surfaces of said throat, brass plates adapted to beinserted in said throat pieces and retained therein by dovetail joints,and said brass plates beveled to an edge whereby said endless chains mayfeed the tobacco upon said throat pieces without said tobacco gettingbetween said chains and said throat pieces, reciprocating knives adaptedto cut the tobacco as it emerges from said throat, mechanism to operatesaid knives and gear mechanism to operate said endless chains. 7

3. In a tobacco cutting machine of the character described, thecombination of a frame supporting two endless chains mounted to convergetoward a throat in said frame, said throat having its upper and lowersurfaces provided wit-h throat pieces recessed for the retention in adovetailed manner of brass plates, said throat pieces and said brassplates being beveled whereby said endless chains may feed the tobacco.upon said throatsurfaces in an efficient manner, reciprocating knivesadapted to cut the tobacco as it emerges from said throat, mechanism tooperate said knives and gear mechanism to operate said endless chains,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. ANSTEY. WVitnesses ELEANOR T. DE GIoReI, HENRY M. Lovn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

